Title: The Mermaid's Three Wisdoms
Author: Jane Yolen
Genre: Fiction
There are a lot of stories written by Jane Yolen that I was never got into. I did enjoy the Here There be Unicorns and Here There be Dragons books she had, especially the illustrations. She always seems to get good illustrators at least!
The story follows a young mermaid named Melusina who has violated the biggest law in the merfolk tradition: she was seen by a human. She is then banished to live on land as a human and is found by the same person who saw her: a young deaf girl named Jess. Jess teaches the silent Melusina sign language and they form a fast friendship, but the sea calls Melusina and pulls at her to return. If she tries she will drown, so landlocked she remains and attempts to adjust.
The Mermaid's Three Wisdoms is a book I remember reading when I was in grade school over and over. I searched bookstores all over to find it, but it was out of print and written back in 1978, so it is hard to find. I was lucky in that I found it on Amazon from a school who was selling old library books. my copy is marked up, but it is better than nothing.
This book was beautifully written and the illustrations that go with it only enhance the story. While I am not usually a fan of mermaid-turning-human stories (since it seems less creative to me than writing a story with a mermaid remaining a mermaid), this story and a handful of others always make me happy. I highly recommend it if you can find the book.
Merlissa the Mermaid's Rating:
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